Electric laundry iron



Sept. 30, 1930. H. KocoUREK ELECTRIC LAUNDRY IRON 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 21, 1929 @deL/7502".

Sept. 30, 1930. H. KocouREK 1,776,947

ELECTRIC LAUNDRY IRON Filed Jan. 21, 1929 2 sheets-shea 2 @Ven/fol". 1%? 655 A rfre zylocoz/b Patented Sept. 30, 1930 `UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY KOCOUREK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHICGO FLEXIBLE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS i i.) ELECTRIC LAUNDRY `IRON Appmaaon mea January 21, 1929. serial nu. assss.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction of an electriclaundry iron adapted to bind the heating element with limited pressure between the parts which are heated 'by it, said parts inr the customary construction being a sole plate and a heat-storing body member; and also particularly adapting the structure to have an exteriorly enameled shell or enclosing member' which shall not be liable to have the enamel chipped and cracked ofi by the-stress from the,y adjacent part to which it is exposed in securing the parts together. It consists in the elements and features shown and described as indicated inthe claims,

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a laundry iron constructed according to this invention. section being taken 011 the line 1 1 on Figure 3.

Figure 2 is a section at the line 2 2 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view with the shell and handle removed.

Figure 4 is a detail staggered section at the line 4 4 on Figure 3. J

One purpose of the invention is to overcome a diiculty experienced in the production and assembly of these irons as heretofore constructed arising from the unavoidable variationv in the castin creating liability of imperfectlyclamplng the heating element between the sole plate and the heatstoring body member which occurs when the cast iron body member ha pens to be slightly under the calculated thic ess, which leaves room for theheating coil tobuckle under changes, of. tem erature as it is alternately energized and e-energized, with the result .that it is very soon burned through and rendered inoperative.

Another purpose of the invention is to avoid the liability of chi pir g or cracking of the enamel outer plating or coating of the outer shell which encloses the ponderous and the similar hard unyie ding stress of t body member or heat-storing element and the heating element, which, in the absence of preventing means, results lfrom thefpositive clamping of the lower edge of the shell onto the sole plate whose mar in\ it overhang?,

e bolt heads, or the binding member under the bolt heads on the upper enameled surface of the shell at the upper side. The liability to cracking enamel due to the first mentioned clamping yis experienced at the lower manV ginal part of theshell from the hard stress of that edgecovered with the enamel. on the hard sole plate, but the more serious liability to cracking enamel resulting from the positive clamping of the shell onto the sole plate .arises from the tendency of this clamping to spring the shell which is a metal stamping, such springing being liable to crack the enamel at any point in the entire area, even in the absence of hard contact at the point at which'the cracking is caused.

The construction as shown in the drawings y is calculated to obviate the liability to enamel cracking from either cause. The cracking due to springing, and that due to hard contact of the enameled lower edge of .the shell with the sole plate, is obviated by the expedient of suspending the shell on upholding bosses of the body member with the lower edge of the shell out of contact with the sole plate, thus .avoiding both the springing which results from clamping it bodily onto the sple plate and the hard contact with the sole plate.

The chipping or cracking of the enamel;

at-the area of hard engagement of the shell by the clamping bolts at its upper side, is

avoided by effecting the securement of the shell for suspending it as mentioned, by interposing spring members under the upper side of the shell betweenthe shell and the bosses by which it is thus suspendedly upheld. Upon considering this construction 1t will be recognized that the same expedient which avoids clamping the shell positively between the handle mount,-or any other upper bindingl member, and the body member, consist- `ing in interpdsing spring elements'between the upwardly facing ubutnents of the body member and the under side of the shell, serves also to/cause the heating unit to be clamped in the same limited or yielding manner and in the same degree between the sole plate' and the body member.'

Incidentally, in applying this improvement to previous-constructions in which thel contact posts or pins'secured to the opposite extremities of the wire coil of the heating element for engagement by the customary plug for connection with the current source, are insulatedly mounted and carried on a member which is secured for positioningr thejcontact pins suitably in relation to the plug positioning socket, by heilig clampedy between the shell and an upwardly facing abutment of the body member, the contact-pin-carrying member is utilized as the spring member inerposed under the^ shell at the rear clamping olt.

Referring to the drawings :--A is the sole plate. B is the main ponderous bod mem- .ber or heat-storing body. `C is the ieating unit consisting of mica sheets enclosing and affording insulating mounting for the heat- 'ing coil of customary form and construction-not illustrated. P is the interiorly and exteriorly enameled shelly enclosing the ponderous heat-storing body member Aand the heating unit above the sole plate. E is the 'handle mount which serves as the binding member being vsecured to the assemblage ot previouslyy mentioned parts for sec'uringthe andle thereto by the clamping bolts, F,

\ which are inserted through bolt holes in said handle mount and extend through the body i member, B, at upstanding bosses, 40,40, thereof, and through the heating unit, for engaging the sole platev into which said bolts are screwed at tapped holes provided therein.A As illustrated, the sole plate is of the type consisting of Aa castinfr sheathed in a metal stamping, a, which"` ailirds the working face of the iron and is permanently held to the casting by having its margin clinched over e-marglln of the casting, as seeh at 30.l j The heating unit is seated in the'recess which isithus formed in the upper surface of the sole late of the depth of the thickness sheet nnetal of which the nstamped sheath, a, is made; This feature of the construction is nota -part of the present invention, but ismentioned merely to identify the marginal protrusionofthe sole plate'zbeyon'd the heating unit and body member, with the clinched margin, 30, of the sheath member of 'l the sole plate.

The body member, `B, has two upwardly facing bosse-s, 40, 40%, constituting abutments for upholding the shell," as above described,

ati the center of which the body member has formed with upwardly facing shoulders, 42,

42, and on these shoulders' there are lodged the spring members mentioned. At the forward boss, 40, this spring member is a dished upwardly concave Washer, 52, whose diameter is sufiicient for seatingitsperiphery upwardly .against/the lower side of the shellk around the recess due to the .upstruck boss,

51, and is dished to an extent for more than spanning vertically the distance between the Yshoulder, 42, and the under surface of the shell when the upper side of the boss, 5l, is Hush with the upper reduced end of the boss, 40.

In this manner the dished washer is compressed a'nd reacts axially between the shell and the shoulder, 42, of the boss, when the bolt is screwed down so as to bind the handle mount positively against the upper reduced end, 41, of the boss which protrudes through the shell and thereby secure the handle positively to the body member, B, and the sole plate, A.

At the rear boss, 41, the contact-pn-carrysulatedly secured to it as seen at 70, -70in dicating the insulation,'-has a spring arm, H1, extendingforwardlyand apertured, as seen at 80, for admitting the upper reduced end of thefrear boss, l40, so that said spring arm o'verhaugs the upwardly facing shoulder, 42, of sairl.1'ear boss. And said spring arm has lateral extension, Inh, at opposite sides of the aperture, 80, saidextensions being flexed downwardly for lodging their ext'emities on the surface of the-shoulder, 42, while the central portion around the aperture,"80, is upheld a short distance from the shoulder and tends to uphold the shell so that the top of the boss, 51, is at a like short distance above the upper end of the reduced `portion, 41, of said'rear'boss, 40a; and the spring-arm, H1, then' acts similarly to the dishedspring washer, 52, for yieldingly upholding the shell by reacting .resiliently between the shell and the shoulder, 42.v of said rear boss, 40". The parts are dimensioned so thatthe shell thus upheld by said spring members andthus suspended on the shoulders of the bosses, 40, 40, is out of contact at the lower ledge with the margin of the sole plate which/.that edge overhangs.

' In order t at the contact pin carrier, H,

' manner and position on the shell, D, said contact-pm-carrier has at opposite, sides do'wntuined lugs, 8l, 81, and the body member,l B, has seats, 83, 83, for these lugs, formed by 1nachinng,-as by boring a short distance into the upper surface of said Lbody member,the de th ofthe bores beingaccurately gauged rom the bottom face of the body member, so that the lugs, 81, being ste ped in said seats cause the contact pins to e correctly positioned'with respect to the plug socket when.,the rear bolt is screwed home, compressingthe spring arm, H1, for

its` designed reactlon'between the shell and i the boss shoulder for cushioning the stress of the binding member,the handle mount,on the enameled upper surfaceof the shell.

I claim:

,1. An electric laundry iron comprising in combination a sole plate, a heating element, a ponderous body member, a shell enclosing the heating element and the ,body member over the4 sole .plate,`the sole platel being dmensioned for protruding marginally slightly beyond the body member and the heating element; headed bolts extending through the shell, body member and heating element engaging thev sole plate for holding all said parts together, the body member having upwardl acin abutments encompassing the -bolt holes o the body, and protruding through the bolt holes of the -shell and having within' the shell shoulders for upholding the shell out of contact at its lower erllge with the protruding margin of the sole ate. J p 2. The construction defined in claim 1 having spring elements interposed on the upwardly facing shoulders under the sh\ell to aord resilient lodgement for the shell, whereby -it is suspended resiliently with the bpttom ed'ge out of contact with the .sole p ate. 1

3. An electric laundry iron comprising in combination a sole plate, a heating element and a ponderous body member, a shell enclosing the body member and the heatin ment above the sole plate, the sole plategbeing dimensioned for protruding marginally slightly beyond the body member and the heatin element, the shell being exteriorly ename ed and having apertures for bolts, the body member having upwardly facing abutments protruding through said holes; bolts stopped above the shell on said protruding abutments and extendi down t rough the shell, body member and eatino` element and engaging the sole plate vfor zholding said parts together, spring elements interposed on said abutments under the shell to afford reele'- a silicnt lod rement of the shell on `the body member, t eJ parts being dimensionedl for 'suspending the shell on said spring elements out of contact at its. lower edge with the pro- -truding margin of the sole plate; whereby the enameled surface of the shell is held in'. a yielding grasp between the bolt heads and said spring elements, and the enameled lower edge is saved from abrading contact with thesole plate. v

4. An electric laundry iron comprising in combination a sole plate, a heating element,

a ponderous body member, a shell enclosing the body member and heating element over the sole plate, the sole plate being dimensioned for protruding marginally slightly beyond the body member and heating element,

a binding member lodged above the shell, the shell having bolt apertures and headed bolts extending through the binding member, shell, body member and heating elements engaging the sole plate for holding all said lparts together, the body member having upwardly `facing bosses whieh` protrude through the bolt ,apertures of the shell and through which the bolt apertures of the body member extend, said bosses having upwardly facing abutments encompassing the boltA a ertures of the body member and forming t e supports of the shell, the shell being upheld on said abutments out of` contact at its lower edge with the protruding margin of the sole plate.

5. `.An electric laundry iron comprising a sole plate heating elemeht and heat storing body member, and a shell enclosing the heat storing member and the heating element;

bolts extending through the shell and body the parts toget er; circuit contact pins constituting terminals of the heating circuitofv the element; a mount-to which the contact pins are insulatedly secured, the body member having an upwardly facing abutment through which one of the bolts extends, said mount having a spring arm ex' tending over said abutment in position to be clamped against the shell and the abutment by the bolt when the latter is screwed home for holding the parts together, the body member belng machined to Aform step bearingsifor the bontact in 'mount at a substantial /distance from t e point at which the springaround the mount is clamped by the bolt, the mount being formed for being stepped on said step bearings, whereby it is ositioned by support at these points for holding the contact pins positively positioned for their engagement b a plug for connection with the source o current. Y

` 6. The construction defined in claim 1 having spring elements interposed on the upwardly facing abutments under the shell to afford resilient lodgement for the shell, whereby it is 'suspended resiliently out oi vcontact; of the bottor-n` 'edge with the sole plate, Contact pins for plug connection with a current source 'constltuting terminals lof the ener izingoircuit of the heating element, a mount y which the pins are insulatedly carried, said mount' havin a spring arm eX- tedin over one of the autmen ts in position to be eiunped between the shell and the abut ment by the bolts when the latter is screwed vhome, said spring arm serving at the resilient lodgernent of the shell atthe abutment.`

Ir. testimony whereof, I have hereunto set.

'my hand at' Chieagog Illinois, this lthvday oJanuary, 1929. 

